Field of the Invention
An endless track travelling mechanism for vehicles provided with a self-propelled drive, particularly hydraulic dredges, with a drive sprocket or wheel, a guide wheel for the guidance of the tractor chain or endless track and chain links, the latter being connected to one another by bolts.
In one known endless track travelling device (German Petty Patent GM 6,602,459), the chain wheel for the drive (drive sprocket or drive wheel of the endless track) is provided with running rims arranged to the side of the sprocket wheel teeth. In this way, the result is obtained that the chain links rest on the sprocket wheel itself, so that the teeth only transmit the pulling force. The weight of the entire vehicle therefore no longer rests on the bushings and pins or bolts of the chain as in the case of the previously known vehicles, but it is taken up by the sprocket wheel. In this known arrangement, however, the entire tractive force must be transmitted in each case by a single tooth, there being merely line contact at the bushings and pins. In addition to this, the teeth have a large ratio of slenderness or coefficient of fineness (about 15.degree.). Thus the known drive sprocket is not suitable for the transmitting of high tractive forces.
The object of the present invention is to create an endless track or travelling mechanism, which despite the very great dead weight of the vehicle driven thereby makes it possible to transmit high tractive forces at relatively high speed of travel, and whereby the material from the ground which has come between the teeth and the chain cannot lodge or seat itself firmly in the chain, so that a long life of the chain is assured.